3 Louisville basketball players who will be rewarded for staying with Pat Kelsey

The transfer portal deadline was April 22 at 11:59 p.m. ET, and after giving it a couple of days, the Cardinals know who is returning and who is transferring.

Louisville basketball lost two players to the portal, as James Scott and Koren Johnson announced that they would hit the portal and leave head coach Pat Kelsey and the Louisville Cardinals. The Cardinals will look to fill in their last few roster spots, but Kelsey needed to be able to bring back five key players from last season.

3 Louisville basketball players who will be rewarded for staying with Pat Kelsey

Louisville is having one of the best offseasons, as they are ranked No. 3 by 247Sports for their additions and No. 11 by On3 Sports for their additions and losses.

Many experts will talk about the three newcomers coming in and how massive it was to land them. While that is true, it is also essential to discuss the importance of Kelsey being able to bring back these key players from last season, making one of the deepest rosters in the nation.

The Cardinals open up with the fourth-best odds to win the National Championship next season, and a big reason is the depth of the roster Kelsey has built. So, here are three Louisville basketball players who will be rewarded for staying with Pat Kelsey

3. Khani Rooths

Khani Rooths won't get much playing time this upcoming 2025-26 season, but he will be a key player in Kelsey's future. Rooths was a 4-star recruit out of high school and was ranked as high as the No. 38 overall player in the class of 2024 and the No. 6 small forward in the class.

Rooths didn't get a ton of playing time last season, but he was a key player off the bench for Kelsey. The 6-foot-8, 2025-pound forward averaged 3.3 points and 3.0 rebounds, shooting 39.3 percent from the field in 13.4 minutes per game. The athletic forward is expected to be a valuable forward off the bench and provide the energy and spark he offered last season.

However, the main reason he will be rewarded is for the future. Rooths will be Kelsey's veteran player in 2026-27 and should be a key player for the future Cardinals basketball team. Louisville will lose some valuable forwards after this season, making Hadley stand out.

Louisville has high hopes for Rooths, and while he should be poised for a better season this year, the future should excite him and the fans. He is expected to break out into an elite player for Kelsey and be Louisville's starting small forward down the line.